So when a group of American singletons heard that Prince Harry was on the hunt for a wife, they couldn’t fly to England quick enough.

But what the wannabe princesses don’t know is that the handsome ginger-haired bachelor they are trying to snare is in fact a Southampton graduate working as a lookalike for the fourth in line to the throne.

What started off as a joke for Matthew Hicks when his university friends in the city realised his remarkable resemblance to the party prince, has seen him take centre stage in a new television show.

'Prince Harry' aka Southampton graduate Matthew Hicks

The American show called I Wanna Marry Harry will see the University of Southampton geology graduate try to fool 12 American girls who have been told that he is Prince Harry and is looking for a wife.

The show’s tagline reads: “Will he be able to convince them he’s regal, and if he does, will they fall for the crown or fall in love with the real him?”

The 24-year-old will get a little help along the way, undergoing the royal treatment to ensure his naturally blond hair is the right colour and being put up in a house fit for a prince in Berkshire.

During the course of the show, the girls will live the life of luxury with “Harry” in Englefield House and each week we will see Matthew take each of the girls on an extravagant date before eliminating at least one hopeful.

The show will run for eight episodes and Matthew won’t reveal his true identity until the very end.

It is only then that Matthew will choose one girl and leave her to decide whether she’s actually fallen for him, or if she was only attracted to the idea of being a princess.

Matthew, who only realised the true extent of his likeness to the younger brother of Prince William when he went travelling around Asia, was found for the role during an international casting search by ZigZag Productions who produced the show along with American Idol host Ryan Seacrest.

The royal real deal - Prince Harry

This is not the first time his doppelganger looks have seen him on our screens.

He has had a spot on a Come Dine with Me special for Channel Four, a promo video for Ice Age 4, as well as various nightclub appearances.

Since graduating in 2011, Matthew is now working in environmental consultancy in Exeter.

I Wanna Marry Harry was secretly filmed last summer and will debut on May 27 at 8pm on Fox, but it is not yet known if it will be shown in the UK at all.